The Farm - A Dead by Daylight Short
by LyricalWhisper
Summary: When you're pitted against a killer who can traverse entire fields in the blink of an eye, how do you survive?


I was at a farm, on the edge of a cornfield. Other survivors have named it Coldwind farm, for good reason. The air here carried a biting chill and a constant scent of rotting carcasses. In the distance I could see them, swinging from dead tree branches, hanging from thick bloodied ropes. The sight is nearly enough to make me gag; I made a mental note to avoid the area as much as possible.

On all sides I was surrounded by large, broken down farming equipment. Even from a distance I could see rust traveling up the sides of the metal plating and joints that have snapped in two from exposure to the elements. Who knows how long this place has been abandoned.

I heard a shriek in the wind, and the chill spiked through my bloodstream. _Not her._ I took to the shadows of hay bales and barrels; not that it made a difference against her, but it helped to ease my own anxiety, if only a minuscule amount.

There was a large barn up ahead. Prior trials' experience told me there would very likely be a generator sitting inside. It was as good a place as any to start. I just hoped it didn't make me an easy target.

I made my way inside, all the while her screeches and screams whistled through the air. I couldn't pinpoint her location; the sounds seemed to come at me from all directions at once, leaving me terrifyingly blind. I didn't want to risk searching for her out in the open. Progress had to be made towards getting out of here.

I hadn't touched the generator for more than a few seconds before I heard a different scream travel through the cornfield. _Damn._ An odd sixth sense shivered down my spine. She had gotten to the first of us.

My eyes unconsciously traveled to a distant location to my right. I could see a strange, bloodred haze that vaguely resembled the shape of a human. _There._ I had her location. Now I just had to hope I could keep track of it. A few moments passed, and the haze disappeared before a second bloodcurdling scream split the air. My hand jumped to my chest as a phantom pain sliced through me, matching the open hook wound of my fallen comrade.

I hadn't made much progress on the generator. I sat there, pondering my options. Every second was precious. I decided to go and help the fellow survivor. I cautiously made my way to the barn doors, watching for her. I caught a glimpse of movement, nearly imperceptible as she traveled across the cornfield in the blink of an eye. Her shriek followed a fraction of second later.

Now was my chance. I took off, sprinting towards the hooked survivor as fast as I could, praying she had found something else to keep her attention from me. I ran into the corn, careful to keep track of the direction I was headed. The stalks were much taller than any man, and thick enough to get completely turned around in. I'd heard stories of other survivors becoming lost, trapped in the endless fields until they screamed and begged for death. It was not an experience I wanted to go through today.

I tread quickly, but carefully. I could feel the other survivor running out of time. The Entity's cold and clammy tendrils snaked through the air, congregating on their location. As I cleared the maize, I could see them fighting it off, barely holding a sickly spear of darkness and decay at bay. It threatened to pierce through their heart, ending their time here in the trial, but not their life. If only we could be so lucky.

I sprinted forwards, closing the gap between us. As I drew near, the tendrils emitted a harsh shriek, retreating up the hook and back into the air. I grabbed their shoulders, and with a strenuous pull, yanked their body off the bloody hook that they currently hung from. They gasped as they hit the ground, staggering, but impossibly managing to stay upright. I signaled them to follow me, and we ran alongside the edge of the corn. I strained my ears, listening for her tell-tale shriek.

Silence. A blessing, I hoped. The other survivor fell to their knees, dropping a packet of gauze and a needle and thread they had managed to find and hang onto. I quickly grabbed their supplies and helped them stitch together their wounds. The process was quick, thanks to much practice over hundreds of trials, but I still felt agonizingly clumsy. Ever second standing still left us open and vulnerable.

The last stitch was in, and I wrapped the gauze around their torso before they nodded, sprinting into the corn. I didn't follow them. Sticking together meant faster generator progression, but it also made us easier targets. And I REALLY didn't want her to find me. I shuddered, remembering my first encounter with the Nurse. Her sickly wheezing as she floated up to my, emaciated legs dangling in the air above my broken body. Being tossed around like a ragdoll with a simple flick of her fingers. Her carving her large, rusted cleaver through me before mercilessly sacrificing me to the Entity. The mere thought stole the breath from my body, as if she was right behind me, pulling me on strings like I were nothing more than a marionette.

I stumbled, my leg giving out. I loudly cursed as I crashed to the ground. In the distant, her iconic screech sliced the air, and my wide eyes caught a glimmer of her as she jumped through space, covering more ground in an instant than any of us could in minutes. The second screech, closer this time. Too close. Another survivor burst through the corn, running straight towards me. Their eyes were wild, skin white as a sheet, in stark contrast to the blood that covered their shirt. I pulled myself up from the ground and ran.

She caught both of us at the same time, out in the open. I dodged left behind some broken machinery, hoping she wouldn't see me, hoping she wouldn't pursue. I was wrong. Her shriek pierced my skull. I felt her icy cold presence appear behind me, and then her large cleaver sliced across my back, ripping me open. I screamed, adrenaline pushing me forwards. I ran into the corn, hoping the tall stalks would disorient her enough to let me escape.

Twisted fortune smiled upon me. She screeched behind me, and then she was gone. Possibly continuing her chase on the survivor I saw. It had looked like their strength was quickly failing them. Perhaps she saw them as the easier target. Though the thought made me sick, I was glad she chose them over me. It was clear this place, this forced ritual repeated over and over, day and night, was twisting my psyche, turning me against the people I needed for support, for survival.

I continued running through the corn, unable to see past it. I crossed my fingers and hoped I would find my way out before I lost consciousness. It felt like hours passed before I cleared the edge of the field, collapsing onto the ground. My vision pulsed, growing fuzzy and clear again. I forced myself to try and focus. I needed a medkit, or to find someone else who could stitch me up.

As I surveyed the area, a glimmer flashed in the corner of my eye. My breath caught short, and I dragged myself up from the ground. I stumbled closer to the light, twinkling in the crook of a tree and some farm equipment. And there it stood.

A hex totem.

The frightening contraption of bones and skulls were tied together to create a small pyramid that pulsed with a strange energy. Fragmented pieces of bones floated in the air, and small candles under the skulls were lit with purple flames that seemed to move with a wind different than the field's. As I grew closer, a low hum vibrated through my body, making me feel sick.

Hex totems were difficult to find, and even more difficult to cleanse. If she wasn't around now, then I had to try and get rid of it. I stopped and took a breath, trying to slow my rapid heartbeat, and pull my focus away from the intense pain in my back.

I gingerly knelt down in front of the totem and began the cleansing process. My fingers deftly traveled up and down the skull and bones strapped atop the heat of the candles, burning far too strongly for such small flames. I don't know how I learned to cleanse totems, it simply came to me during one of my first trials. Nobody I've spoken to knows how they learned it either. Must be a "gift" from the entity.

I tried to work quickly, but the pain kept pulling my focus away. The process was going too slow. Warm blood dripped down my arms and around my fingers, smearing across the totem. A drop fell onto one of the flames, and the fire pulsed out, the hum morphing into a roar. I nearly fainted from the impact, my head dropping to the ground.

I gasped, drawing myself back up on shaking arms. I was nearly finished with the cleansing, but one more hit would definitely knock me out. I had to try. Quickly. She's bound to notice if I take any longer.

I pulled myself up to my knees, wiping the excess blood on the grass, then quickly reached down to the bones and snapped the last pieces. I quickly yanked my fingers back as a blast of wind blew out the candles and burst outwards, followed by a thunderous crack that boomed across the field. It's strength nearly knocked me backwards, and the rest of the totem shattered and crumbled to the ground. My action will definitely not go unnoticed now. I ran as fast as I could endure from the totem's location, praying I wasn't headed directly towards my killer.

A furious screech told me otherwise. _Shit._ I crossed my fingers and committed to running ahead. A strange rush of air carrying a cacophony of echoing screams passed through me, piercing me to the bone with a frigid cold. I didn't look back when I felt the Nurse materialize behind me, focused on the location of her former hex totem. I just rounded the corner of a wooden labyrinth when another screech range out from the woman scorned, likely furious that the one who destroyed her hex managed to escape.

A loud groan escaped my lips. I stumbled to the ground again as my vision grew faint, my breath labored. I lost too much blood. I couldn't go on like this. I could feel her cold breath moving closer to my position. _She found me._

I tried to run, but a force grabbed me where I stood, yanking me back against a wall. I howled on impact, the pain shattering my body. The Nurse appeared in front of me, and I realized with a start she looked different than before. The dirty bag that had previously covered her face was replaced with a silk ribbon over her eyes, leaving her petite nose and mouth exposed, and she wore a tattered red dress that looked like it could have been designed for a ball. She was terrifying and yet...almost beautiful.

The thoughts fled as soon as she swiped her cleaver through my stomach, opening a second wound that mirrored the first. I howled in agony, my vision flashing white. She grabbed me by the collar, and suddenly pressed her lips to mine. I froze, feeling a strange pull deep within me. In horror, I realized she was taking the breath out of me. I felt a black void dragging me closer. No, not my breath. _My life, my soul._

I couldn't recover. I couldn't feel anything, remember anything. Her face fell far away, a strange light flowing into her mouth. I couldn't see...


End file.
